Orioles vs Cubs Prediction Today | MLB Odds, Expert Picks for Sunday, June 18
Via Ezra Shaw/Getty Images. Pictured: Dean Kremer #64 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the San Francisco Giants on June 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
- The Orioles are short road favorites on Sunday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.
- Baltimore will send Dean Kremer to the mound, and he could be a problem for strikeout-prone Cubs hitters.
- Tony Sartori breaks down the matchup and offers up his Orioles vs. Cubs best bet below.
Orioles vs. Cubs Odds
| Orioles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -116 | 8.5 +100 / -122 | -1.5 +152 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -102 | 8.5 +100 / -122 | +1.5 -184 |
The third and final game of this interleague series gets underway on Sunday with the NL Central's Chicago Cubs hosting the AL East's Baltimore Orioles.
Chicago won each of the first two games of this series 10-3 and 3-2. Will the Cubs pull off the sweep, or can the Orioles end the series on a high note?
Here's a look at the odds, as well as my Orioles vs. Cubs betting pick and prediction.
Baltimore Orioles
Right-hander Dean Kremer is slated to take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles in this matchup. Through 14 starts this season, Kremer is 7-3 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
While those numbers are not very promising, we should still be confident in backing the right-hander to generate strikeouts. Boasting a six-pitch arsenal, Kremer does an excellent job mixing his pitches and keeping opposing hitters on their toes.
Because of this unpredictability, he has recorded at least five strikeouts in each of his past five starts. This trend is likely to continue this afternoon against the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs
It has been an underwhelming season thus far for the Cubs, who are just 33-37 and sit in fourth-place among a weak NL Central. While the hitting has generally not been terrible, Chicago still ranks in the bottom half of the league in hits per game, BA, SLG and home runs.
However, this lineup's biggest weakness is its strikeout vulnerability, primarily against right-handed pitching. This season, the Cubs rank 22nd in the league in K% when facing right-handers.
Looking at Sunday's projected starting lineup, five of the nine hitters possess a Strikeout Rate north of 23% this year. Opposing starting pitchers have now collected at least five strikeouts in three of Chicago's past four games.
Orioles vs. Cubs Betting Pick
This strikeout trend is likely to continue against Kremer. Outside of Mike Tauchman and Trey Mancini, nobody on this current Cubs roster has previously faced Kremer, so it may take a few rotations through the batting order to figure him and his six-pitch arsenal out.
That should be more than enough time for the right-hander to rack up at least five strikeouts. Additionally, and while it is a small sample size, Tauchman and Mancini have combined for a fade-worthy 30% Strikeout Rate and 40.9% Whiff Rate in 10 career plate appearances against Kremer.
I would also take this number at five if plus-money is offered on the over.
Pick: Dean Kremer Over 4.5 Strikeouts -118 (Play to -140) |
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